Brothers
by HouseoftheBadger
Summary: The Sorting and a few other moments in Regulus and Sirius' lives after the moment that Regulus walks into the Great Hall of Hogwarts the first time.


**Disclaimer: I own the story, but no characters or places.**

Sirius watched nervously as the first years walked into the Great Hall, led by Professor McGonagall. He hadn't even been this nervous during his own Sorting. Actually, he hadn't been very nervous at all, but now he was practically paralyzed in nervousness. He knew Regulus wanted to be in Slytherin, wanted to make their parents proud, and afraid of being a disgrace, but he still wanted Reggie in Gryffindor _so badly_. He was so scared that his baby brother would take the path of their ancestry and the Family.

Regulus hid his own nervousness quite well, and a stranger would probably not see it, but Sirius who was the one who knew Regulus best of everyone in the world, could easily see how timorous his little brother was. He knew it kind of was his fault; if he hadn't been Sorted into Gryffindor his brother wouldn't even have thought about the possibility of getting Sorted into another House than Slytherin.

James put a hand on his shoulder, trying to give Sirius a bit of confidence, and Sirius smiled slightly. His anxiety wasn't smaller, but it was a bit less overwhelming when he had his friends' support. Remus and Peter smiled calmingly toward him, showing that they were there for him if the worst would happen. Sirius nodded shortly back to them before turning back to watching his brother intently.

They had reached the stage where the Head table and stool with the Sorting Hat was placed. Professor McGonagall (Sirius was too nervous to even call her Professor Minnie) walked up on it and took up the list with the children who was on their way to getting Sorted.

She cleared her throat and looked out over the first years. Sirius thought he saw her gaze wander over to him, but he wasn't sure.  
Then she began to read up the names.  
"Armstrong, Josephina."  
Josephina Armstrong walked up on the stage, looking nervous, and sat down. Just a moment after the Hat touched her head it shouted:  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Black, Regulus II"

Regulus walked up on the stage, and the people in the great hall began to whisper. Everyone could see Sirius' nervosity when he looked at the younger boy, and it wasn't hard, even for those who didn't knew it was his brother, to see that he cared a lot about him. Would he follow the path of every other Black in history and become a Slytherin, or would he follow his brother's and being chosen for another House?

McGonagall smiled toward the young boy, she too could see his nervosity after having known Sirius for a year, and placed the Hat on his head.  
The whole Hall held their breath when the Hat didn't immediately shout out the Slytherin House. A moment became a minute, and a minute became two. Sirius saw a hint of panic on his brother's face when the Hat dragged out on it. He didn't even realize he wasn't breathing before Remus leaned in over him and whispered to him to breathe, he was beginning to turn blue.

He took a deep breath in the same moment as the Hat made its decision, and soon the shout echoed over the whole Great Hall.  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
A small smile of relief took its place on Regulus' face as the Slytherin table erupted in applauses. He looked over to Narcissa who smiled encouragingly toward him, before he glanced toward Sirius, who sat crestfallen. The disappointment was almost overwhelming, even if he hadn't really expected anything else. He had known that Regulus was his parents' son much more than he was.

His friends looked at him worriedly, and Regulus showed a hint of sadness at the look on his older brother's face. Sirius dragged a hand over his face before smiling a very small smile and beginning to applaud his brother. He didn't _have_ to turn horrible just because he was a Slytherin. He was still Reggie.

Regulus' smile widened when he saw that Sirius wasn't mad and he went over to the Slytherin table meanwhile Sirius continued to applaud. The other Marauders also joined in and soon, possibly for the first time since the founders' time, almost the whole Gryffindor table applauded for a Slytherin, mostly to show their support for Sirius.

McGonagall smiled toward Sirius, looking a bit proud actually, before continuing on with the Sorting as the applauses had stopped.  
"Bradshaw, Jessica."

* * *

Next day Sirius still was a little down, even if he was beginning to accept the Hat's choice. James, Remus and Peter had done everything to make him feel better, even turned everyone in the common room yellow with purple lines and earned themselves a detention and a lot of anger from their fellow Gryffindors since the others wasn't able to take it away and they had to go like that the whole evening. Luckily it had disappeared over the night.

During lunch they walked through the castle, not doing anything special. Just talking about the summer (James had been in Italy and Peter had been in Belgium) and planning future pranks. They reached the Entrance Hall and was just on their way outside when a call was heard from behind.  
"Siri?"

They turned around and saw Regulus hurrying toward them, looking apprehensive. Sirius smiled slightly when his little brother reached them.  
"Hello, Reggie." He replied and Regulus seemed a little less worried when he heard the nickname. Sirius never used it when he was upset with him.  
"You're not angry that I'm a Slytherin?" he asked and Sirius shook his head.  
"No. I would have loved if you wasn't, but I knew that you wanted to. You have never been able to disappoint Mother and Father."  
Regulus smiled a little. Sirius shook his head a little before gesturing toward his friends.  
"James, Peter, this is Regulus. Reggie, this is my friends. You've already met Remus, but this is James Potter and Peter Pettigrew." He presented them. James and Peter shook his hand.  
"You want to come with us?" James asked. "We're on our way down to the lake, I think."  
Regulus shook his head and gestured toward the door.  
"No thanks. I'm going to eat lunch. See you, Siri."  
"See ya', Reggie." Sirius nodded as his little brother turned away and walked into the Great Hall. They saw him meeting with some other first years and sit down around the Slytherin table. Sirius shrugged and they walked down to the lake.

* * *

 **A week before Christmas Holiday**

"Why can't you leave Severus alone?!" Regulus screamed, gesturing widely. Sirius looked just as angry, if not even angrier when he looked down at his brother. His grey eyes met Regulus' identical and he glared at him.  
"Two reasons: First, Snivellus is a slimy _git_. Second: He called Jasper Montoya a mudblood! I won't stand that! And I don't know how you can be friends with him! He's horrible!"  
"Don't _call_ him that! His name is Severus, not Snivellus! And why shouldn't he? That's what Montoya is, isn't it? A mudblood?!"  
Sirius froze, staring shocked at his brother. He still wasn't used to Regulus arguing with him, even though their relationship had been strained since October. This was the first time they ever had yelled at each other, and it both felt wrong and very alien.

"No. We don't even know if he's a muggleborn or not! He's an orphan, so he can have magical blood in his veins. We – don't – know. And even if he doesn't, you don't go around calling people that! He's happy James wasn't there, he would have done much worse than I did." He hissed and Regulus recoiled slightly at his tone, but didn't back out of the argument.  
"Well, if he can't prove to have a witch or wizard as parent or grandparent, then he's not better than the mudbloods anyway. They don't deserve magic. Can't you get that into your thick skull? If you can't listen to Mother or Father, then you can at least listen to me!"  
"Never. Jasper deserves magic as much as we do! Just because our blood is 'pure' doesn't mean we're better than anyone! At least not because of that! I would rather be a muggleborn, or a _muggle_ , than having the family I have!"

They were in the middle of the Great Hall, during dinner, and everyone listened to them. The teachers was too shocked to stop them. The Black brothers had never been seen arguing before, and frankly, everyone was shocked over seeing Regulus doing something like this in public. Sirius, sure, he didn't care the slightest about propriety, but Regulus had never done anything that could risk disgracing his family. And even more, no one, including Sirius, had _ever_ seen timid, shy and obedient Regulus Arcturus Black II raise his voice. No one had ever seen any proof that this child had any backbone at all. Especially not toward his older brother. Which only made Sirius angrier, because it mean that him hexing _Snivellus_ had succeeded to make Regulus angry when eleven years of abuse (toward him, Sirius and Regulus' beloved Kreacher) and mocking hadn't. Eleven years of Sirius trying to have Regulus stand up for himself toward cousin Bellatrix and everyone else who dared to anger a Black. _Snivellus_ had succeeded.

Regulus' eyes widened when Sirius said this and he just stared for a moment before regaining his ability to talk.  
"Fine. You won't have to bother with the Family anymore." He said, totally callous.  
"Wonderful! Just what I've always wanted!" Sirius replied dryly. "Can you please make sure that _Cissy_ won't disturb me either?"  
"Yes. You won't have to bother in school anymore. But I _will_ make sure our parents know what you're up to, believe me."  
"Great. I don't care. They'll have my head for everything else I do either way, so what does a little more matter?" Sirius voice was raising again, on the limit to shouting once more. Regulus was quick to catch up. "And you can forget that I will ever protect you from punishment again. Next time you break something, you clumsy racist, you will have to take it yourself! Or maybe you just will blame it on me, like the snake you are?"  
"Maybe I will! Mother and Father loves me more either way, they will believe me!"  
Sirius barked out a dry laugh, staring at Regulus with disbelief.  
"Love you? _Love you?_ They may _like_ you more, but they're not capable of love! No matter how much you tries to please them, they will _never love you_ because they don't even know what love is! The only one who have ever loved you am I! And I'm not so sure I do anymore!"

A collective gasp came from the whole great hall and Regulus looked like Sirius had hit him. His grey eyes was like steel when he looked at Sirius.  
"Possible. But don't forget that there's no one who loves you either. Mother's right. You're a disgraceful, filthy bloodtraitor and a shame to wizard-kind. Who could ever love someone like you?" Regulus wasn't shouting anymore, but the whole hall could hear him anyway.

Sound of feet came from behind and three figures in red and gold suddenly rallied behind him.  
"Now, wait here." James' voice came sharply. "That's not true. I love him very much. He's my best friend, and my brother if he want to. My parents would be ecstatic."  
"Yes, we love him too." Remus agreed with gentle tone and Peter nodded his agreement.  
"Thanks." Sirius said gratefully and turned back to Regulus. "But I can handle this myself. This is a family-thing."

"Listen very closely, Regulus." Sirius hissed. "I don't care even a little bit what the Family thinks about me. I've got James. I've got Mr and Mrs Potter. I've got Remus and Peter. I don't need them. And if you're going to go their way, I don't need _you_. If you realizes that they're wrong, then you're most welcome back. But until then, I want nothing to do with you. Understood?"  
Regulus looked almost as murderous as his older brother.  
"Fine. Good. Perfect. I don't need you either! I want nothing to do with you either. When you've realized _you're_ wrong, and is proud to be a Black, then you're welcome back."  
"That will _never_ happen."  
"If that's the case, I believe we're finished, _bloodtraitor_."

"Okay, that's enough!" McGonagall's voice came from behind. She had dragged Slughorn with her and they were on their way toward them. She looked positively furious, even if she had something that almost looked compassionate in her eyes. Something small.  
" _My_ Mr Black, detention for disrupting the peace and hexing Mr Snape. My office, six o' clock tonight."  
"Yes, Professor." Sirius answered without taking his gaze of his brother. McGonagall glared at Slughorn who seemed to wake up from shock by it.  
"Mr Black from Slytherin, detention with me six o' clock too, for using of offensive words at more than one occasion and disturbing to peace."  
"What?!" Regulus objected. "But professor…!"  
"Six o' clock, Mr Black. Understood?" Slughorn interrupted sternly.  
"Yes professor." Regulus muttered. As McGonagall and Slughorn turned their backs toward them the brothers glared at each other and stormed out of the great hall, the Marauders loyally following Sirius.

The whole year, every time the Black brothers saw each other, they would either glare or ignore each other. They didn't exchange a single word. Otherwise they didn't even acknowledge that they had a brother, and for the Marauders it seemed like Regulus didn't even attend the school.

* * *

 **14 August 1973**

 _Crash_. A vase had hit the floor. Regulus' face paled and he dragged his wand to try to repair it, but didn't have time. Footsteps was heard and he knew the whole Family, including Aunt Druella and cousin Bellatrix, would be there in no time.  
As usual (Regulus never knew how he did it), Sirius was first in place out of pure habit. Within seconds he stood next to Regulus and the crashed vase and putted Regulus away so he stood some meters away. Just in time, seeing as the others came into the room a few moments later. Bellatrix grinned when she saw him standing around the shards.

"Well, well, well." She sneered, throwing her black hair over her shoulder. "The bloodtraitor has caused trouble, I see."  
Sirius glared at her and succeeded to look disparaging even though he probably was up for a beating. Even if he said it had been Regulus no one would believe him now.  
"So you can see? How wonderful, Bella. I was worried your beloved Dark Lord would've taken your eyes by now, or made you blind with one of his curses. Or even better: mute. But I guess he's too evil to do something that would've been such a blessing to the world."  
Bellatrix growled as Mrs Black paraded into the room and glared at him, and then the vase, and then him again.

" _Reparo_." She said and waved her wand and the vase repaired itself. "I see that you can't even obey a single order. You were to stay in you room, Sirius. And still you're breaking vases. I won't tolerate disobedience."  
Sirius knew he was up for punishment either way, so he couldn't stop himself.  
"Strange. You did tolerate it when Regulus disobeyed and got detention for screaming offences over the whole Great Hall."  
"That's an entirely different thing, and you know that." Was all Mrs Black said. She walked up to him and gave him a slap on the chin. "Now, to your punishment."

After the beating Sirius was quite bruised, and since he wasn't to go anywhere Mrs Black hadn't bothered to heal him. Everybody left him in the parlour, after telling him to get back into his room and stay there. Groaning in pain he got on his feet and realized that Regulus was still staring at him in shock, fear and sadness. Sirius glared viciously at him.  
"Don't _ever_ mention this again." He said before limping past his little brother who nodded and turned around, walking out from the room.  
"I'll send Kreacher with food." He said before disappearing. This was the last kind things the Black brothers did to each other for years.

* * *

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